7.22.2012

about a week ago I was involved in the 48 Hour Film Project. it's an international festival where film-making groups get together and write, shoot, and produce a short film in under 48 hours. you are assigned a genre, and all groups have to work the same character, line, and prop into their films. our character was Adam Nicholson, door-to-door salesman, our prop was a flashlight, and our line was "Why am I always first?".
a friend asked me to join her group as the artistic director. I did the hair, makeup, and costume design for the film, as well as some of the cinematography! it was actually more fun than I had expected.

we were given the silent film genre, and naturally I was very excited. I got to transform our lead, a fantastic actress named Helena, into a flapper, all set to the music of one of my favorite singers, 1920s darling Annette Hanshaw. I went all out, giving her the full twenties makeover, complete with faux finger waves.

the films all screened this weekend at the Byrd, a favorite Richmond hangout. the Byrd is this giant antique theater from 1928, and is almost unchanged in appearance. it's really beautiful inside, chandeliers and red-velvet curtains and all. it was an honor enough to have our little homemade film be shown there.

this short was in no way a real serious competitor for the $5000 prize and film deal, but we had a lot of fun and I loved getting to show what I think I do best. and for that, here's our little film! I hope you all like it. if anything, I think it's really cute. enjoy!

7.12.2012

so here's something I haven't done in forever : a diy! today's diy is super simple, and honestly i love the outcome so much.

ombre has been big for a while now - from hair to clothing to anything in between. so many bloggers have done the ombre diy, and after lusting after an ombre shirt i decided i'd make one for about $3.

you need:

a shirt in the color and style of your choosing; some fabric dye, a bucket

i personally used a thrifted white collared shirt and black rit dye. my advice to you upon doing this diy is to use a cotton shirt, as cotton retains dye much better than others. do not use polyester, or it will not be very strong. since I was going for gray, i didn't care that my shirt was polyester, but just be warned if you want a really contrasting, bold color it won't really work with polyester. trust me. if you want to do denim, rit dye makes dye specifically for denim.

instructions:

1)gather your dye, shirt, and a bucket. I used a white collared shirt that I got for $1 at a thrift store.

2) mix your dye according to the directions - usually there will be something to mix it with like vinegar or salt and water, etc.

3) dip dye! you may be able to just put the base of the shirt in the bucket and let the dye seep upwards, but if you can't, just dip the part of the shirt you want dyed into the dye over and over. this way you can control how high you want the ombre to be. dip to the highest point you want it to be first, then gradually dip lower and lower, so the color is darker at the base and lighter upwards.

4) rinse your shirt in cold water until the water runs clear.

5) hang dry.

6) wear it!

super simple stuff.this picture isn't super good because it makes the whole ombre look really faded - it's more contrasting in person. because my favorite color is gray, I made a gray shirt. also the whole shirt is a little gray now because i accidentally without thinking put this shirt in the wash after dyeing it. oops. you should probably get it dry cleaned, hand wash, or just wait a little longer before washing it on cold. but I love gray so I don't care. I've already worn this shirt like six times.

7.06.2012

it's time for another installment of follow friday! the most recent follow friday before this was last august... so, I decided to have another one! I'm never shy about declaring my love for this city and it's oh-so-chic people, so this installment is focused on some local blogging talent from right here in Richmond. so, today, here are three lovely local bloggers:

Brian is like Richmond fashion royalty. Dirty Richmond ("where the city is dirty but the people are not") is Richmond's own resident street style blog. it is the dream of all fashionistas and trendy peoples alike in Richmond to get on Dirty Richmond, and it is really a great street style blog. he photographs people of all ages for Dirty Richmond, too! Brian also promotes a lot of local artists and designers as well as covering events.

Larissa's blog is a newer one, only started very recently, but Larissa has been behind-the-scenes in all things pertaining to Richmond fashion. she is the creator of From the Runway to RVA (currently under construction), co-created the RVA Fashion Bloggers group, and works at one of Richmond's favorite fashion boutiques, Phoenix. she's really done a lot of work, but it shows, as she has headed a part of the Richmond fashion movement, and that within itself is quite an accomplishment. and if that weren't enough, she's also pretty stylish to boot. not to mention she has these sunglasses I'm mad for.

you can also follow Larissa on her tumblr as well as blogger, and check up on From the Runway to RVA soon!

Leney is, in short, a doll. she is a real sweetheart. on top of that, she makes and sells jewelry. her blog is less devoted to fashion than the other two and more devoted to life in general, but even in her non-fashion posts you can see her style seep through - and what a lovely bohemian style it is. her blog is a very happy one, and can instantly cheer you up. besides blogging, Leney runs an etsy, writes and photographs for From the Runway to RVA, and works for herself at Leney Breeden Photography.